Member Benefits
Valuable Benefits of Union Membership
Our membership means strength in numbers, and that strength leads in many different ways to a better future for our members and their families.
HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF BEING A MEMBER OF LOCAL 324:
1. Representation at the workplace:
All members of UFCW Local 324 have protection in the event they are unfairly fired or disciplined. Our Union contracts state that employers must have “good cause” for all disciplinary actions and that a manager can’t punish you just because he or she doesn’t like you. Our contracts all include a grievance/arbitration procedure in which a neutral arbitrator or hearing officer ultimately decides cases that are not settled and proceed to arbitration. This procedure has resulted in thousands of our members being reinstated and receiving monetary reimbursement for time off work and wage claims.
Our Union investigates thousands of these cases every year. If you are in trouble at work, your Union Representative will accompany you to a proper hearing with your employer and ensure that your rights are respected. Before any disciplinary meeting starts, ask that a Union Representative be present.
Non-Union employees do not have protection on the job. They can be fired at an Employer’s whim, and unless discrimination based on a protected class can be proven, there is no recourse for the employee. Complaints of unfair treatment are decided entirely by the same supervisors and managers who made the decision in the first place.
2. Representation at the bargaining table:
It’s not an accident that our members enjoy some of the best wages, benefits and working conditions in the industries in which they work. These aren’t the mere gifts of enlightened employers who happen to be in a generous mood. Those good wages, benefits and working conditions are negotiated by your Union and are possible only because the Union embodies the combined strength of thousands of people like you.
3. A binding contract setting forth wages, benefits and conditions of employment:
The wages, benefits, hourly guarantees and other conditions of employment are set forth in black and white and signed by the Employer and the Union. Except for every three or four years when the contract is up for renewal, our Employers cannot change their employment practices. Job security is assured through seniority provisions that are carefully thought out and included in the contract.
Not true for non-Union employees. Seniority has no meaning and wages, benefits and working conditions can change at any time and without notice. With the few exceptions of conditions that are mandated by law (minimum wage, overtime and 40 hours, etc.), non-Union employers can change their employment practices and employees’ only recourse is to terminate their employment and go elsewhere.
4. Representation in the halls of government:
Your Union works hard to educate public officials about issues that concern Union members and all working Americans. These issues include health care, job safety, overtime pay, family and medical leave and many others. Practically all laws that protect workers today (minimum wage, overtime, safety and health laws, social security, Medicare, child labor laws) were enacted because labor brought the issue to the forefront. One of Organized Labor’s big battles today is for employer-mandated health care.
5. Qualified professionals:
The friendly staff at our Buena Park and Lake Forest offices is well-trained to answer questions about health coverage, pension and membership issues. Our Union Representatives are always accessible if you have a work related problem.
6. Credit Union membership:
Members of UFCW Local 324 have special access to the Rancho Federal Credit Union (RFCU), which provides a full range of checking services, saving accounts, remote banking services, credit cards and loan options at special rates. An office of RFCU is located inside our Union headquarters in Buena Park. Members who work for certain employers can even have their paychecks directly deposited into their Credit Union account.
7. Scholarships: Members and their families can apply for merit-based scholarship programs.
For members working at Albertsons Ralphs, Vons, Gelson’s, Stater Bros. and Super A, we have negotiated a scholarship program that annually distributes up to $1 million to members and their children. The announcement for this scholarship is mailed to all eligible members from our Trust Fund.
For our members who do not work at the above companies, Local 324 offers annually, a Scholarship Awards Competition. Applications and eligibility rules are available the beginning of every year at Local 324’s main office, Lake Forest branch office or in our magazine called “UMagazine,” which is mailed to our membership bi-monthly.
8. Discounted tickets:
Members can purchase discounted tickets for movie theaters and amusement parks like Disneyland, Sea World and Universal Studios, among other attractions.
9. Death benefit:
Based on length of service, families of our members are entitled to a death benefit in the unfortunate event of a member’s death.
10. Communications:
Members of Local 324 get a subscription to our award-winning publication now titled U Magazine, which provides news and commentary about the Union and issues that affect all working people. Special quarterly publications are specially designed for Stewards and members who work at the Disney Resort. In addition, this web site provides up-to-date news bulletins and information about Union resources.